The Unforgettable Daughter
by Rizzoli Rizzles
Summary: Cora is the one who places the curse on everyone. Snow White remembers everything but cannot leave Storybrooke. She soon meets a homeless child called Emma, but doubts it is her own Emma. Will she be able to see their connection in time? Emma holds a dark past and has many secretes. Will these two be able trust each other in time to save all of Storbyrooke? Please Read and Review!


**The Unforgettable Daughter**

**Hi everyone, this is my first Once Upon A Time Story so please go easy on me. Please Read and Review, and of course Enjoy! **

**Also I know I still need to finish my other story, don't worry I'll get to it one of these days. Hahaha. **

**P.S I sadly do not own any of these amazing characters from this amazing show! **

Chapter 1

Cora is the wicked mother of Regina; she has done something that no one ever thought could possibly be done. She has taken everyone's happy ending by sending them to our world. She killed her own husband by ripping his heart out and crushing it right in front of her own daughter, just as she had done to the young man her daughter fell in love with. Regina was crushed; her heart was now completely dead without her father, he had been the only other person besides Daniel that has ever really loved her.

What the wicked mother didn't know; was that her curse hadn't been exactly bullet proof. There was one person that was able to be unaffected by the dark curse, her memories of her other life still remained fresh in her mine.

The young woman continued her morning run through the woods as she tried to forget haunting memories. Flashes of a little baby crying for her ached her heart every day. She hated herself for not being able to keep her sweet baby girl; she hated being a mother without her child.

Time passes when Snow White nearly makes her way back to the main road, when she suddenly feels something bumped into her. The young woman turns around to see a fallen child with frightful wide eyes. Snow tries to put a name to the young girl, but nothing comes up. The teacher knew everyone in her small town, but this child was unrecognizable.

"Oh sweetheart, are you all right?" She kneels down in front of the girl and is instantly captivated by her green eyes. Something about them lures Snow in; it was as if she has seen these eyes before, like in a dream. Snow holds her hand out to offer the girl some help.

The child glares as best as any kid can really do at her. "Stay away!" she shouts.

Snow is shocked by the sudden shout that is filled with such anger for someone so small looking. The girl couldn't possibly be older than ten at most. She had long locks of curly blonde hair; her clothes were obviously old and worn. She had faded jeans, a black t-shirt, a red hooded jacket, and plain torn sneakers.

The little one quickly stands and is about to take off when a voice causes her to glance behind her. "Mary Margret stop that child!" It was Sheriff Graham; he was running towards them.

The girl looks up at Snow; her eyes held anger and a flash of horror mixed within them. She dashes off before the young woman can even think to react. Part of her didn't want the girl to be captured, she looked so scared.

Graham finally makes it to Snow as he takes a minute to catch his breath. That kid has been keeping him on the run for the past week now! Any time she was finally spotted he would dash after her, but the kid was quick. It was like she was on steroids or something. He really couldn't stand the fact that a small kid like that could easily out run him; the mayor was really going to be pissed. She has been nothing but trouble since her arrival. It's obvious by now to the mayor and the sheriff that she is either a run away or an orphan that simply did not belong here. Where she came from is another matter that he has been unable to figure out.

"Damn that kid needs to become a runner when she grows up" He says, while catching his breath and wiping the sweat off from his forehead.

"Sheriff Graham what is this all about?" Snow asks concerned. Her eyes continued to stare off to where the girl has disappeared to, deep into the wooded areas. It was the area that most of Storybrooke stayed away from; it was easy to get lost the deeper you went into those woods.

"Sorry Mary Margret, guess I kind of surprised you there. I was driving down the road beside these woods when I suddenly saw that kid popping out of them. She's been hiding out in these parks for the past week now and I just can't seem to catch the girl. She's been spotted in town a few times, stealing food from time to time. The only thing the mayor and I know is the girl's first name, Emma"

Snow's heart nearly forgets how to beat at the mention of a haunting name. Oh how she wished that little girl was hers, oh how she wished she could wrap that little girl safely in her arms and tell her that mommy is here. But Snow knew it was impossible. The curse had a prophecy that said it could only be broken after her baby was twenty-eight years old. She still had eighteen years to live without her sweet little one to hold. A day didn't pass by where she wondered what her child was doing, what she looked like; she prayed every day that she was with people who showed her love.

"What do you plan to do with her if you catch her?"

Graham sighs as he runs a hand through his short dark hair. "I'll have to send her over to foster care system if she doesn't have any family" he explains.

"Poor thing, she must be so scared and lonely" Snow says sadly.

"Yeah, I try not to imagine what she must have been through in order to choose the woods over a chance of adoption, or being home with her family. If you see her again please inform me as soon as you can"

Snow is hesitant but she gives him her warm fake smile. "Sure thing Graham"

"Thanks; see you around Mary Margret. I need to go report this to the mayor" He sighs and makes his way out of the woods that lead you to the main road back to town.

Snow scans the woods with her forest green eyes as she tries to see the child once again. Something about this child just felt strange to the young woman. She sighs knowing it was pointless to find someone that obviously knew how to hide. If only Ruby knew who she really was, her friend would be able to sniff the child out easily.

Snow needed something to distract her mine with; this child was bringing her back too many emotions that she didn't want to feel, emotions that she tried to fight off every day. She decided to head back over to the main road where she parked her car just beside the woods. Once she made it to her little car Snow grabs her bow and arrows that were safely hidden in her trunk. If it was one thing Snow loved, it was the power she felt from shooting an arrow. Back in the enchanted forest she was known for her perfect targets, she never missed. The young woman always had to be careful about how often she practiced; so as not to be caught one day. If Cora, the town mayor ever caught wind that she still somehow had her memories intact; her life would be over. No, although it was hard to keeping going Snow had to stay alive. She had to keep living on for her daughter, for the day that her brave girl would one day find her Charming.

As Snow makes her way back to the woods, a little farther than where Graham had found her she tries not to think about her husband. The man that she dearly loved more than life itself. He was stuck in this cursed world, married off to a woman known as Kathryn. Snow did everything she could to avoid the happy couple; it broke her heart in two every time she saw Charming smile at that woman. Snow did not hate Kathryn, because she knew it wasn't her fault, it was this curse; it was Cora who took everything from her. _(I know in the show that Charming is in a coma, but I want him to have a little more active role in this story than he could in a coma) _She holds up her bow and arrow and aims at some random tree. Snow allows the anger and hate she has for Cora to grow just before releasing the arrow.

Meanwhile sweet little Emma was catching her breath after finally out running that annoying sheriff once again. She lifts a tiny rock up and throws it at a tree, easily hitting the target despite being a good distance away from it. She was frustrated, that time had been too close for comfort. If she wasn't careful that persistent man would eventually capture her and send her straight back to the foster care system. The small child hears a loud growl coming from her stomach; it was demanding to be fed. Emma sighs as she tries to think of something, she was getting sick of fish and berries, but it was all she had in these woods. There was a small lake that wasn't too far from where she was; she needed to hunt. Emma looks near the tree that had her things. Everything she owned all fit into a tiny red back pack. She grabs it along with a stick that had a fork tied at the end of it. She had stolen the fork at the dinner in town after snatching some bread along with it. She would have preferred a knife, but it was the closest thing she could steal without being noticed in time.

Emma makes her way over to the lake and nearly jumps from someone's shouting. "Damn it!" The child quickly hides behind some trees. She sees a beautiful woman sitting on a large rock like one would on a chair. Her face buried in her hands as she sobs. Emma blinks surprised, she has never seen a grown-up cry before. As she looks at the white running clothes, and sees the long black hair that was mid-section length she recognizes the woman from before. Why was she crying? Emma knew it was better to just runaway and leave, if she were to go over there this woman might take her to that irritating sheriff.

Snow rarely cursed, she felt like a complete wreck. Thinking of that lonely child has caused her to constantly remind her of the guilt she felt for giving up her own baby. What if she was in this horrible foster care system she has heard about while living in this world. She would do anything to be able to just leave Storybrooke and search for her daughter, but she couldn't. Nobody could leave Storybrooke; every time she tried she would be violently pushed back by some kind of invisible barrier. How many times would she break down like this, how many more times must she feel like such a powerless mother?

The little girl was torn. She knew that running was the right choice for survival, but something about this woman made her ache as she watch her body shake from her the soft sobs that escaped her. Emma never liked seeing someone cry, it reminded her of all the times she was forced to cry alone in her own misery. The child places her stick down and slowly makes her way over to the older woman. She only prayed that she wouldn't regret this later.

Snow tries to force the image of her baby girl crying for her out of her mine, she tries to forget having to watch Charming slowly die in her arms before being sent to this world. While lost in despair she feels a gentle touch against her arm. Snow looks up to see the child from before; her eyes were warm and comforting. It was as if this small girl knew exactly what Snow was feeling, she didn't know what to say.

Emma was also at a loss for words. As she stared into the matching green eyes all she could see was how sad; and how warm they looked at the same time. It made her wish for just one moment that this woman could just take her away from the dark world she has always known. She wished that maybe she had finally found a grown-up that could understand her pain; that maybe they could understand each other's pain somehow.

**TBC! **


End file.
